ConfirmThem

By AndrewHyman Posted in Senate Rules — Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

According to a Christian Science Monitor article, Senator Cornyn said this today: "We have to reinstate majority rule in the Senate. The Myers nomination is the test." A vote on Myers in the Judiciary Committee is scheduled for Thursday.

The author of this article is Gail Chaddock, who previously participated in a WBUR radio program, in which she presented inaccurate information about nominees Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen, as previously described here at confirmthem.

Unfortunately, today's CS Monitor article also contains some rather unbalanced material. Ms. Chaddock writes, "Republicans blocked dozens of President Clinton's judicial nominees by refusing to let them come to a vote in the Judiciary Committee." Ms. Chaddock neglects to mention two critical factors: (1) Republicans at that time were in the MAJORITY instead of the MINORITY; and (2) the Republicans did not block an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor to get any of Clinton's nominees out of committee (this is called a discharge vote).